Bloomington Public Library Calling all gamers in grades 6-12 the next Game Fest is coming, Saturday, May 13 to Old Town Township Hall, from 1-4 pm. We are playing DDR (as always), Mario Kart, Guitar Hero and more. If you have never been to Game Fest, make this one your first. Register here, today.

DDR Tournament and Open House The University of Illinois Undergraduate Library is hosting an open gaming night Saturday, April 29th from 7-10pm. There will be a DDR tournament, several other consoles set up, and a display featuring our new video game collection. More info at the link above.

Dueler's Guild The Bloomingdale Public Libray hosts a Collectible Card Games event the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 pm and the third Sunday of every month at 1:00 pm. for players age 9 and up. Supported games are Magic: the Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Contact Melissa Willer or Bill Forgette for more information.

Success Stories

Lake City Community College, Lake City, Florida

Gaming Event in the Lake City Community College Library April 14, 2006 5PM-11PM

Seventy gamers that included high school and community college students, parents, local newspaper editor, business people from gaming stores and faculty attended this most successful event. Coordinator Vickie Lepore (reference librarian) attributes the success to the team of seven students and three adults who worked the event. There were two 52" monitors, plus 12 other monitors for Madden, Crimson Skies, Halo, DDR and Project Gotham XBox tournaments. The Anime club brought their own games. People checked out our collection of 35 PC games that were purchased through the community college's Foundation grant, and played on our newly acquired gaming computers. Audio-visual hired a DJ; the library hired Ken Schirrmacher from the Technology Department, who is also a Halo champ and ran several of the tournaments. Student Activities offered free food, and we had very generous sponsors that sent us schwag for our tournament winners and drawings: NVidia, Bawls (energy drinks), Alienware, CaseAce, FunCom, and Aspyr. For a more detailed account, visit the library's blogsite at <http://lcccpopculture.blogspot.com> We discovered that our old library facility is perfectly designed for gaming events, and we are already planning our next event for the summer 2006!

Funding

The success of a program is not limited to planning and coordinating. Many possibilities for future gaming events were presented at the Tech Summit for gaming at MLS in the suburban Chicago library system during 2005. The key to making them happen for the Matteson Public Library became the issue of funding. The materials list that we were presented with at the Tech Summit became a tool to both help make our technical decisions and to seek help with financing. This information was passed on to the Youth Services Manager, Judith Vostal and Director, Kathy Berggren. The list was then presented to the local Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club has in the past been a contributor to the library. They made a generous decision to contribute a $1000.00 grant to offset our start-up costs for our gaming program. The new equipment made it possible to implement the program concepts and bring gaming to the Youth Services Department in the Matteson Public Library.

Saturday Game Days at Clinton Public Library, Clinton, Oklahoma

INTRODUCTION

Clinton Public Library is a medium sized library. Some would consider it small. This is a program that can be made to work in a library of almost any size. Of course larger libraries can do it more grandly, but I hope that people will realize that they can have cool gaming programs in their library without big bucks.

HISTORY

The week before the Super Bowl in February 2006, we hosted a Madden 2006 tournament. We had two age brackets to accomadate different skill levels. Connecting my personal X-box and game to a TV in the meeting room, we allowed players to compete while they enjoyed snacks that we had provided. Our room was full. Over forty people attended or participated, and afterward begged us to offer this program again soon. We learned several things from this initial experience, thanks in part to some of the mistakes we had made. The biggest mistake we made was not realizing that the games would take too long. We had overestimated our ability to get everyone adequate playing time, and as a result had to rush things along. A decent game takes a full half-hour. Encouraged by our success we decided to run the program again.

The next month we held an NCAA March Madness tournament, this time borrowing a Play Station 2 and the game from library employees. We split the tournament into two smaller ones based on age groups and held the tournament on two different evenings. The attendance of the tournament for younger people was high, but almost no one showed up for the older tournament. We looked into the causes of this and found that weeknights were a poor time to schedule these tournaments.

THE CURRENT PROGRAM

Recognizing this as a great way to draw in youth, especially male youth, we have decided to build the program up and add more to it, in order to attract a wider audience. We are beginning to host two Saturday game days a month. We have invested about $60 in board games which we leave on the tables. Part of these board games we bought used, but most are new. The first game day of each month we hold a video game tournament, which varies from month to month. On the second game day of each month we will host a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament. We have yet to host our initial Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, but the sign-up sheet we provided is filling very quickly.

We just held the first of these game days. We borrowed a staff member’s PS2 and one of our teenagers loaned us FIFA Soccer. Our attendance was high, and the youth enjoyed the entertainment we provided. We hope that some day the board games will one day serve as a program of their own, but right now we seem to be building good support by simply hosting the board games simultaneously with the video game. When the video gamers are not playing, they enjoy playing uno, scrabble, checkers, chess, battleship, and more.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Here is the part you really want to know. Below are the fundamental keys to making a similar program work in any library.

1) Find out what the youth want to play. Involving them will increase their ownership of the program.

2) Don’t worry about buying everything. If you can supply the TV, borrow the rest. I recommend borrowing the gaming console from a staff member if possible. They are less likely to hold you responsible if the machine suddenly stops working. But go ahead and feel free to ask teens to donate the use of their games, giving them a reward of some kind (food is the best reward for youth)

3) If at all possible, get a mature teenager who is familiar with these kinds of things to monitor. I know nothing of Yu-Gi-Oh, but we have recruited about four teenagers to help us out. This is a great opportunity to work with the school library’s literary group! You do not have to do it all yourself.

4) Require advanced registration. Get their names and phone numbers, and then make a bracket out. You can download free tournament brackets at www.darters.com . Schedule players in the bracket and then notify them of what time their first game is set.

5) Leave room for alternate players. Is some one cancels or is late, don’t dally. Go directly to an alternate who is their and ready to play.

6) A prize is not always necessary. Males ( who will be your primary audience in the video game and Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments) enjoy bragging rights above all else. A simple trinket or certificate will make their day.

7) Remember that this is fun.

8) Don’t worry about whether the participants are checking anything out. Just make sure the resources are available. They will eventually grow curious.

9) Find the day that works best for your audience, wheter it be an evening or a weekend.

10) Requiring a library card is no problem, especially for the video game tournament. Teenagers will be begging their guardian to get them a library card.

FUNDING

This can be a low cost program. Use volunteers. If you want to provide refreshments, talk to your friends group or local businesses. They are often eager to help out with youth programming. The only true rule to how much you spend is that the bigger your library, the more elaborate and professional you must make it appear.

Core Collection

Tips N Tricks

DDR Settings: How do you avoid having to reset the game.. going through the steps of selecting "game mode", 2 players, and choosing characters. Eli says: You're looking for event mode. Go into options, then game options, and turn event mode on. That ought to do it. We also usually set game over to 'end of music' to keep really bad players from the shame of failing in the middle of the song.

If possible, using a projector screen for console play really gives that 'wow' feeling that most players don't get at home, and is useful for multi-player FPS matches that can look really small on TVs.

If using a projector for fighting games such as Smash Bros. Melee or Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, make sure to test your projector for lag. Certain projectors may leave a bit of a trail when characters start to move fast, which can really hurt frame watchers and other highly skilled gamers. If possible, split the video feed between both the projector and a TV, so that the gamers participating can use the TV, and spectators can view the match on the projection screen.

Author outlines "why DGBL is effective and engaging, how we can leverage those principles to implement DGBL, how faculty can integrate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) DGBL in the classroom, what DGBL means for institutional IT support, and the lessons we can learn from past attempts at technological innovations in learning."

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: quarterly play and Game Fests in Library and community at large
Games: DDR tournament; Other console games like Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, Dead or Alive, NFS; Come for the company, stay for the Karaoke, board games (Monopoly, Chess, Clue) and puzzles like life-size Sudoku
Photos available at Flickr
Contact: John Fischer

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: starting this spring, we're starting by hosting some X-Box LAN parties after hours on Friday nights
Games: first one will be Halo on X-Box
Contact: Cindy Moriarity

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: every fourth Saturday, we have Game Day where the kids play board games and card games
Games: bingo, Uno, Connect Four, puzzles, checkers
Contact: Kelley Nichols

Type: public
Size of library: large
Types of gaming: Currently trying to organize a group of Runescape players for regular events.
Games: Runescape. Some interest has been expressed in console games and RPGs.
Contact: Karl Siewert

Type: public
Size of library: large
Types of gaming: open play (DDR) and open LAN parties; after hours open internet play
Games: DDR; internet games; CD-ROMs
Contact: Cynthia Maxwell and Julia Driscoll

Type: public
Size of library: small
Types of gaming: online access; kids download video games - we usually do not put them off; they seem to know tons of resources
Games: whatever the internet offers
Contact: Victor Dixon

Type: public
Size of library: small - medium
Types of gaming: GAME ON ~ a monthly gaming event just for Teens. Super Smash Brothers, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero II and the new Nintendo Wii are just some of the games set up for the teens to play. Also - free food.
Contact: Rebecca H. Spence

Type: public
Size of library: large
Types of gaming: DDR for teens, console games, game nights for teens, trying senior gaming this summer.
Games: Circulating PS2 and XBox games in the collection, DDR for PS2.
Contact: Sheri Chambers

Type: public
Size of library: large
Types of gaming: DDR tournaments (for teens - trying families this summer); chess program for all ages; we also have public access computers that we use frequently for online gaming; certain computers have CD-ROM games pre-loaded (very popular with preschoolers); board game nights in the summer for teens (trying for younger this summer)
Games: DDR; chess; karaoke; board games
Contact: Kelly Laszczak

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: drop-in after school program one or two days a week if staff available to mintor room
Games: Nascar; Spiderman; WWF Wrestling; various PlayStation games
Contact: [mailto: magan.szwarek@riverforestlibrary.org Magan Szwarek]

Type: public
Size of library: small
Types of gaming: computer gaming; held one open play day so far
Games: letting kids play Runescape on library computers; DDR for Playstation 2 and Mario Kart for GameCube during open play; own X-Box systems but haven't used them yet
Contact: Dayna Tucker

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: plan to offer a game day program in Fall 2006
Gaming: probably Euro games like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne; plus open gaming; would also like to do some easy, fun group card games like Apples to Apples and Bang
Contact: Tom Sievers

Type: public
Size of library: medium
Types of gaming: console video games and board game days
Games: all board games (including Candyland and Risk); DDR; Mario Kart Double Dash; Lego Star Wars; we are planning a D&D program for summer read & a Magic the Gather card game event.
Contact: Jack Schultz

Type:Public
Size of Library: Medium
Type of Gaming: We had our first Teen GameFest in July 2006. The library purchased both a PS2 and a GameCube console and 2 DDR Mats. It was very successful with approximately 30 teens participating. We plan to do it again in October, and perhaps have them quarterly if not more often.
Games: DDR Extreme 2, Mario Kart Double Dash, Super Smash Brothers, and lots of board games, including Life, Monopoly, Fact or Crap, Chess, playing cards, etc.
Contact:Jessica Marie

The Juvenile Section has 7 old computers running several dozen games and educational software that get almost constant use. We also have many more kids games and software for circulation. (makes the older gamers jealous.)

Teen After School Gaming twice a month. Currently using employee's xbox and PS2 hooked up to projectors in the program room.

A new computer in the YA section loaded with donated and free games.

Games:

For the little ones we have a ton; The Magic School Bus collection, Super Duper Music Looper, and the classic Oregon Trail to mention a few. We even have games En Espaniol.

For the console after school program, no M games, then whatever the players bring in from home. Current big hits include; Tekken Tag, Magic: Battlegrounds, StarWars Battlefront II, (no library investment... yet...)

Libraries Circulating Games

The WMA Library is currently working with the parent of a student to collect and house at least 25 board games. We will house the games in the library and lend them to students for library use. Boarding students may take the games back to their rooms for a 1-night loan. We're trying to figure out how to make sure that students return games with all of their pieces---without asking staff to count pieces every time a game comes back. We've hosted several very popular game nights here at the library as well.

Baltimore County Public Library (Md.) currently offers over 2000 videogames at 17 branches for 7-day circulation, with a limit of 2 games per checkout. It was decided to catalog the E and E10+ games in the kids collection, and the T games are in the adult collection. The platforms supported are Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube. Portables have been determined to be too unwieldy for circulation at this time. Limited programming at some branches has included Runescape and GameCube tournaments.

Bloomington Public Library now offers video games for check out. We have current and classic titles for X-Box, Playstation 2, or GameCube systems. You can take up to two games at a time and keep them for one week. If the game you want is checked out, be sure to place a hold on the title and we will set it aside for you when it comes back. If you want to play the games you have for another whole week, just renew them if no one else has requested them. Consider this your warm-up for Game Fest in July...Don't be shy! Game on, gamers!

Library: Guilderland Public Library
Purchased from EB Games, Wal Mart, Best Buy. Donations accepted.
Ratings: E - T
Contact: Trevor Oakley
As of February 2, 2007, the Guilderland Public Library in Guilderland, NY, circulates console games. The library is launching a circulating collection of 102 games for the following platforms: Playstation 2 (PS2), XboX, Xbox 360, Nintendo Gamecube (GCN), and the Nintendo Wii. In the future, I would also like to support handheld platforms and the Playstation 3 (PS3). All games are loaned for free on a first-come, first-served basis for seven days. The library's Teen Advisory Committee will be organizing and planning gaming events after its February 2007 meetings!

Rochester Hills Public Library offers games for Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, PS3, Gamecube, Wii, PSP, Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS for checkout. The games circulate for 1 week, and can be renewed if no one is waiting for them. You can place holds on the games and the library has more than 800 titles in this growing collection. For reviews from teen gamers in the community check out Animeted.org!

The Park Forest Public Library offers games for Xbox, XBox 360, PS2, and Gamecube for checkout. The games circulate for 1 week and cannot be renewed. Holds cannot be placed unless you are a Park Forest or Olympia Fields patron for the new titles. Older titles are available for ciruclation to other MLS libraries. The library has about 90 titles in this growing collection.

The University of Illinois Undergraduate Library started collecting video games in Spring 2006. We are looking to support student interests, curricular and teaching needs, as well as the research of many scholars on campus. We are starting with new and best selling games for platforms like Playstation 2, GameCube, XBox, and XBox 360. We also plan to collect portable games (Nintendo DS, PSP, etc.) and vintage games as well.

I am doing video game selection for the Mobile Public Library system in Mobile Alabama. We are currently putting together a start-up collection of console games (X Box and Playstation 2) for our Main and West Regional libraries. I am hoping librarians who are readers of this wiki might be able to give some guidance in the area of reviews and purchasing.

We are currently using these sources for evaluative reviews: PC Gamer Magazine, Game Informer, Official X Box Magazine, Playstation Magazine, Sound and Vision, Electronic Gaming Monthly. Given their target audience these are all heavily weighted towards titles rated for Teen or Mature with less coverage of E titles for Everyone and very little coverage of materials geared for children. Are there websites that are authoritative for reviews that we might use to supplement these print magazines? Also, do you know of print or web-based sources that review games for children (console, not PC)? Are there any review sources (for either children or adult games) which review in advance of release?

As regards purchasing, which vendor(s)are you using? In your experience, which provide the best discount and fill rate?

We are circulating Nintendo Gamecube, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation2. Playstation2 is by far our most popular platform. These games are setup to circulate just as DVDs. They check out for one week and are not renewable. We also have been circulating PC games for a long time now. They are setup to circulate just as CDs which checkout for three weeks and are renewable.

We select titles from Xbox Platinum Hits, PS2 Greatest Hits, and Gamecube Player's Choice. We also buy games based on user ratings that are within our price guideline of basically under $25.00 per title. New releases are available for in-house play at our Young Adult Media Bar.

Since console game circulation is new for us, we consider it a demonstration project and thus have a limited budget until it is a proven success. We are evaluating customer response and request, overdue and billed items, as well as how often items are damaged or needing repair. Since the beginning this project in December, 2005, our customer response has been fantastic. We have doubled our collection twice during that time.

We currently hold about 300 games for circulation.

Library: Oakland Public Library
Purchased From: Baker & Taylor, Best Buy, and EB Games
Ratings: E-T
Contact: Susy Moorhead
We are currently circulating Sony PlayStation 2 games. We decided on PS2 as it is the most popular platform with our teen patrons. Xbox is a close second and some branches of Oakland Public Library (OPL) plan to purchase Xbox games for their collections soon. The games check out for one week only without renewals or holds. Fines are $1 a day. We have been circulating games since Summer 2006.
We choose which games to buy through patron requests and reviews online and in print review sources.
We do plan to purchase consoles for gaming programs in the future.
We currently circulate a little over 100 games at 14 branches.